GAME REPORT

Krka Claim Crucial Win

Krka Novo Mesto took the fight for qualification from EuroChallenge Last 16 Group J down to the final week with an impressive 89-78 win over Szolnoki Olaj.

The home team got off to a fast start, with Christopher Booker proving difficult for Szolnok to contain.

Booker's shot put Krka 18-7 up after six minutes and forced visiting coach Dragan Aleksic into calling an early timeout.

His team rallied, but still gave up 52 points in the first half and watched the lead swell to 20 early in the second half before gaining any traction.

The defence tightened up, and Strahinja Milosevic's three-point play at the end of the third period brought Szolnok back to 66-60 behind.

The Hungarian team were within two when Miljan Rakic missed a free throw with less than six minutes remaining, but Sani Becirovic took over down the stretch to lead Krka Novo Mesto home.

Becirovic's three-pointer put the Slovenian team back ahead by nine, and Szolnok couldn't get close again.

Jaka Klobucar notched a game-high 20 points while Becirovic tallied 13 points and 11 assists for Krka, who will take on Reggio Emilia in their final Group J match on 25 February in Slovenia.

Milosevic had a team-high 18 for Szolnok, who will also play at home next week, welcoming Cholet Basket to Hungary.

COACH QUOTES

Quotes Krka Novo Mesto vs. Szolnoki Olaj KK

Krka Head Coach Aleksandar Dzikic"We will remember just two points from this game. We shouldn't look back because the most important games are still in front of us. We had a good game in the first half but for some reason we didn't continue like that in second half. But such small declines should be normal in such a long season. Szolnok is very good team and it's never easy to play against them."

Krka Player Jaka Klobucar"Only the win is important after such a game. We should forget the second half as soon as possible. We played good as a team in the first half and the score showed that. In the third quarter we lost concentration and Szolnok used that. They came back but at the end we grabbed a very important win for us."

Szolnok Head Coach Dragan Aleksic"I congratulate Krka. They deserved to win because they played really good tonight and they knew what they wanted. We were not in the game at the beginning of the second half but then we managed to come back and I'm glad for that. At the end a little bit more quality on Krka's side and their home court were decisive. Now we have to win against Cholet."

Szolnok Player Balasz Simon"Congratulations to Krka. They played excellent for almost the whole game. We started to play only when we were 20 points down. We were a bit more aggressive and we took some open shots. Unfortunately that was not enough. We missed some key shots and after that Krka made easy points from counter attacks. Now we have to concentrate on the game with Cholet which we have to win to go through."